Thomas cockcroft



(NoModeL) T. GOUKOROPT.

PACKING CASE.

Paten'te li A r124, 1883.

IT STATES PATENT FICE.

THOMAS OOOKOROF'I, OF BIRKENHEAD, COUNTY OF CHESTER, Asslenon TO WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, on LIVERPOOL, JNGLAND.

PACKING-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed November 7, 1B 8l. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern: 'Be it known that I, THOMAS Cooxcnonr, of Birkenhead, in the county of Chester and Kingdom of England, have invented a new and useful Packing-Case, (for which Ihave obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 4,729, hearing date November20,1879,) of which the following is a specification.

Up to the period of theintroduction of this invention bottles, cans, or jars were either packed in straw or paper, or each placed in a separate compartment made tofit them. The first plan was dirty and troublesome, the second very expensive, as they had to be wellfitted partitions, and even then had to be packed with sawdust. The great objects I had in view were a cheaply-made package, and one in which I could dispense with packing material, and at the same time have an elastic support for the bottles to react against if subjected to a sudden concussion.

My invention is now being enormously used in England, and I desire to protect it in the United States.

It consistsin an arrangement of box in which the bottles or cans are placed in a series of compartments formedin the box by thin elastic laths, of wood or other suitable material, placed in such manner that the bottle has to press them asideor out of their normal shape to get in at all. The laths then act as springs to support the bottles in position and keep them intact. The form I most prefer has one or more series of partitions running across it obliquely, every partition meeting its next neighbor at one end in a groove, so as to present a zigzag, series of partitions, each groove, except the end ones, taking two partition ends. If there be a central cross-partition, the grooves are arranged alternately, so that grooves on the opposite sides of the partition shall not come opposite each other. This arrangement not only avoids unnecessary weakening of the middle wall or partition, but also prevents the bottoms of bottles from being placed directly in line on opposite sides thereof, and causes both the bottles and the elastic partitions to assist in supporting the central wall or partition. The partitions are thin laths, and when Batent No. 276,356, dated April 24, 883. Patented inEngland November 20, 1879, No. 4,729.

placed in position the bottles are inserted, with their necks pointing to the apex of the com partment, and the'partitions are sprung out by the bottles, each bottle occupying one compartment. Consequently each bottle aids in giving an elastic partition to keep the contiguous bottles tight. There can be numerous layers, a thin layer of wood separating the ditl'erent layers of bottles. It is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of box with two adjoining laths fitting into the same groove in each case; Fig. 2, a modification in which each lath has a separate groove; Fig. 3, a vertical section of case.-

In these drawings, A are the sides of the box, which can be single or double. In case it be double, the grooves are so arranged as to alternate on opposite sides of the central partition, as shown.

B and (J are the top and bottom.

X X are vertical pieces of wood, nailed to the box to prevent the two horizontal pieces D D, Fig. 4, from shifting when inserted. By this means, instead of making a flooring all over the box each time, two laths on each side to support the bottles will besufticient. This improvement is not in the English patent, and has not hitherto been patented to me in any country.

E E are the laths or partitions between the bottles; F F, its grooves, and G central vertical cross partition; H, a few bottles shown in position. In some cases it is not desirable to bring the two partitions so as to actually meet in the groove. In such case each partition has a groove for itself, and the obliquity of the partition is designed so as to follow a straight line nearest approaching the average contour of the bottle, but preferably cutting across some salient angle, so as to put a strain upon the partition. Fig. 2 shows a plan of this variation.. The same letters refer to same parts as in the last, and Fig. 4 will act as a sectional view to explain this also. The partitions are loose at their ends-that is to say, they are free and not fastened rigidly to any part of the case. This arrangement is adopted in order that the partitions may be readily pressed of elastic materials have been arranged in packing-cases to support or assist in supporting the articles placed therein and that flexible rods of wood have been arranged in a bottle-case in such manner that bottles of a particular form-that is to say, of a greater diameter about midway of their height than above orbelow that point-must force the rods slightly aside to enter between them, the rods subsequently resuming their original form and position. My invention differs from the above and from all prior inventions known to ine,in that the flexible partitions are not only pressed out of their normal shape by the article inserted between them, but are held in such bent or abnormal shape so long as the article remains between them, and in that the flexible partitions exert a constantelastic lateral pressure upon the bottles or other articles. By the zigzag arrangement of the partitions I not only utilize the space to the greatest possible advantage for packing bottles and like articles which are larger at one end than at the other, but 1 cause the partitions to aflord a support for said articles from end to end, or nearly so, and I also produce by the alternating arrangement of the bottles, as shown, a double curve in each partition, thus securing a very elastic yet firm support for the bottles or other articles.

A wide distinction is to be made between the flexible and elastic partitions herein dearticles so long as the articles remain between them.

I do not claim a packing-case in which aseries of flexible partitions are connected at their ends to one another and placed loosely within the case.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with the case or box having grooved walls, a series of flexible partitions extending diagonally from wall to wall and having their edges seated loosely in the grooves, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A packing-case provided with a series of disconnected flexible partitions arranged in a zigzag order and loose at their ends, substantially as shown and described, whereby the partitions are adapted to be bent into a double curve by the insertion between them of articles differing in size at opposite ends when the ends are alternated, as explained.

3. A packing-case provided with a grooved central partition and sides or walls, and with a series of elastic partitions extending from the central partition to the respective walls, the partitions on one side alternating with those on the other side, substantially as and for the purpose explained.

' THOMAS OOOKOROFT. Witnesses:

J. OWDEN OBRIEN,

JOSEPH JAMES ROYDEN. 

